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The anti-aging/skin care industry has always been competitive, but this battle for market share has been escalating recently and now the competition between makers of medical grade skin care products has taken an interesting turn. ZO Skin Health just filed suit against Obagi Medical Products (OMP), both companies being founded by the same leader in the industry, Dr. Zein Obagi.

According to the complaint filed in the Superior Court of California, County of Los Angeles, OMP allegedly interfered with the distribution of Dr. Obagi’s new line of anti-aging products that he developed for his current company, ZO Skin Health. Reports say the disagreement likely stems from a non-compete agreement between the two parties, and whether that agreement should stop ZO Skin Health from distributing its new line of anti-aging products directly to consumers over the internet. OMP denies any wrongful conduct in the matter, and says it will vigorously defend the suit.

As the demand for anti-aging skin care products has increased over the last decade, so has the competition within that market. Between 2006 and 2008, U.S. sales alone rose 13% to 1.6 billion dollars, and the trend shows no sign of weakening as baby-boomers take advantage of advances in skin care science to address the effects of aging on their appearance.

Dr. Stacy appeared on KONG 6 today to discuss winter skin care and her own experience with Thermage…

The Grossman Burn Foundation, the philanthropic arm of the Grossman Burn Center, has this week announced that Solta Medical Inc. has donated a Fraxel re:store laser system to the Burn Center, offering immediate benefits to Burn Center patients.

The Fraxel system will be used to reduce the appearance of scarring caused by traumatic thermal damage. The Burn Center is a worldwide leader in innovative treatment and care for burn patients and their families.

In making the donation, the Chairman of the Board, President and CEO of Solta Medical, Inc., Stephen J. Fanning, applauded the Grossman Burn Foundation’s efforts to provide highly-skilled non-profit reconstructive surgery to treat patients’ scars and help their recovery, adding that “The Grossman Burn Foundation is well known for their humanitarian efforts to assist burn victims and their families throughout the world…”

And it’s true. The Grossman Burn Foundation provides burn care and medical resources in developing countries all over the globe, including a burn center in Kabul and a physician triage training program for doctors in underdeveloped countries. The Foundation is also involved in the development and distribution of satellite based telemedicine equipment to doctors and first responders all over the globe. The donation of the Fraxel system, therefore, was a natural fit for Solta Medical, a world leader in the laser skin resurfacing technology.

“The goal of restorative burn care is to return the patient to as close to pre-injury status as possible…” said Rebecca Grossman, the Chair of the Grossman Burn Foundation. “We plan to use the cutting-edge Fraxel technology to restore our burn-injured patients and play a key role in providing better and faster patient outcomes.”

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Laser technology is 50 years old, according to National Public Radio. Now that they have matured, what are we able to do with these devices?

a) Distract tigers
b) Treat acne scars
c) Remove unwanted hair
d) Project giant image of Britney Spears into the stratosphere
e) All of the above

Click here to listen and find out.

Q: What is Latisse?

A: Latisse is a bimatoprost ophthalmic solution 0.03%, originally developed and used as a glaucoma medication. In using the medication, many patients noticed that their eyelashes grew. Some even had to trim their lashes due to excessive length. Allergan, who owned the medication, began to market it as Latisse, for topical use in patients with “inadequate eyelashes.”

Q: How long has Latisse been on the market?

A: Although Latisse has been available for just over 6 months, its related safety record as an eye drop solution, spans well over 10 years. Any medication that is used in the eye must be very safe.

Q: Why do I need a prescription for Latisse?

A: Latisse can result in eyelash improvement of 105% in thickness and over 25% in length. Latisse is not an over-the-counter medication. The FDA approved Latisse as a prescription medication to treat hypotrichosis, i.e. reduced amount of eyelash growth.

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